Europe for Cruisers logo
Europe for Visitors Cruising

Europe > Cruises > Reviews > Emerald Star > Photos > Rhine & Koblenz

Emerald Star Cruise Photos

From: Emerald Waterways cruise review: Nuremberg-Trier

Day 5: Rhine & Koblenz

Eltville, km 511 on Rhine

During the night, Emerald Star had passed Frankfurt. When we opened our curtains on Saturday morning, we were cruising past Eltville at Rhine Km 511, which was just north of Mainz and Wiesbaden.


Rhine Km marker

On the Rhine, kilometers are measured from the city of Konstanz, Germany, on the Bodensee (a.k.a. Lake Constance). The Rhine joins the North Sea at the Hoek van Holland, Km 1036.2 Km.

The Middle Rhine, where most of the river's famous castles are located, is roughly between Bingen (Km 526) and Koblenz (Km 593).


Rhine tenth kilometer markerRhine half-kilometer marker

In addition to "Rhine Kilometer" markers at 1-Km intervals, the river has tenth-Km markers and "plus" markers that represent half-Km.


Rhine scenery with Ehrenfels Castle

Ehrenfels castle ruins and train

As Emerald Star cruised north, we approached Burg Ehrenfels, or Ehrenfels Castle, near Rüdesheim on the river's right bank.


Burg Ehrenfels

The fortress (now a ruin) was built in 1212, later served as a Rhine toll station, and was damaged in the Thirty Years War and again in 1689 during the Siege of Mainz.


Ruedesheim am Rhein

Nearby, the pretty wine village of Rüdesheim had two sightseeing boats moored along the waterfront.


Sun deck on EMERALD STAR

As Emerald Star cruised north, we spent most of our time on the Sun Deck, where the weather was cool and drizzly but the scenery was spectacular.


Rhine River vineyards and DB train

Vineyards and Deutsche Bahn railroad tracks lined both banks of the Rhine.


Village on west bank of Rhine River

We enjoyed views of towns and villages, and the residents enjoyed even better views of the Mittelrhein.


Reichenstein Castle and St. Clement Chapel

Another minute, another medieval castle: In this case, Burg Reichenstein (now a museum and boutique hotel) and St. Clement's Chapel.

The castle, also known as the Falkenburg, is a popular venue for weddings and honeymoons.


Castle Stahleck

Stahleck Castle, at Bacharach (Rhine Km 543), displayed the colorful umbrellas of its DJH Youth Hostel.


Vineyard near Bacharach

A vineyard near Bacharach had a billboard built into the hillside.


Pfalzgrafstein Toll Station, Rhine River

From roughly 800 to 1800 AD, there were 79 toll booths along the Rhine, collecting tolls for a long line of emperors and "robber barons." You can read more about them here (PDF document).

This small castle, Pfalzgratenstein,, is a former toll station at Kaub, on the west bank of the Rhine between Stahleck Castle and Burg Schönburg.


Burg Schoenberg

The Burg Schönberg, now a four-star castle hotel, was a few miles north at Oberwesel, near the entrance to the Rhine Gorge (possibly the most scenic stretch of the Rhine).


Lorelei Rock

The Lorelei Rock, named after the siren of the German folktale and Henrich Heine poem, loomed over the Rhine just before St. Goar and St. Goarshausen.


Church on the Rhine

Boppard and KD Rhine Line sightseeing boat

Boppard car ferry

We passed more castles and the occasional church, then encountered a car ferry near Boppard.


Barge and Viking River Cruises ship

The Rhine is like an acquatic freeway, with ships, barges, and sightseeing boats cruising in both directions.

According to the Central Commission for the Navivation of the Rhine (CCNR), nearly 7,000 commercial vessels use the Rhine, with traffic of about 300 vessels a day at Mainz (where Emerald Star entered the Rhine from the Main).

In the photo above, note the green channel buoy and the illuminated navigation marker on the river's right bank.


The passenger ship Heinrich Heine is operated by to 1AVista Reisen, a German company based in Cologne. We haven't traveled with 1AVista, but we're intrigued by the line's river cruises for dogs and their families. (What could be more German than a holiday with your Hund?)


A-Rosa Brava

We could see the lipstick-red lips beneath the bow of A-Rosa Brava, another German ship, as we cruised past.

(Germans seem to have a thing for kissable vessels: AIDA, the German subsidiary of Costa Cruises, also displays lips on its ships.)


Burg Rheinfels, Sankt Goar

Loreley Elegance, a sightseeing boat of Loreley-Linie, sails on the route Boppard-Loreley-St. Goar-Rüdesheim. Here, the boat is cruising past Burg Rheinfels at St. Goar, a castle ruin that is open to the public.


SCENIC JADE on Rhine 

We heard a toot, and our captain responded with a blast of the ship's horn. The reason: Scenic Jade, a vessel of Emerald's sister line, Scenic Cruises, was about to pass us on its way south from Amsterdam.


SCENIC JADE on Rhine River

SCENIC JADE "Space-Ship" of Scenic cruises

Scenic Jade is the eighth "Space-Ship" in the Scenic fleet. It was built in 2014, the same year that Emerald Star entered service.


Lueftner AMADEUS ELEGANT 

VIKING LOFN from EMERALD STAR

Reizen.nl ALLEGRO on Rhine

Uniworld RIVER EMPRESS on Rhine River

MPS ROTTERDAM

Other ships that we passed included Amadeus Elegant of Lüftner Cruises, Viking Lofn, Stip Reizen's Allegro, Uniworld's River Empress, and Feenstra Rijn Lijn's Rotterdam.


Rhine pilot boat

Passenger vessels weren't the only ships and boats that we saw during our morning on the Middle Rhine: Here, a pilot boat sails heads south on the river. (Official pilots are required on vessels whose captains aren't licensed to operate ships on the Rhine.)


Wheelhouse on EMERALD STAR

We learned that river vessels, including barges, are required to display a blue sign when passing on the starboard (as flipped up on Emerald Star's wheelhouse above).


Rhine water police boat (Wasserpolizei)

Police boats patrolled the river, looking for scofflaws.


Barge with cars on top, Rhine River

The Rhine also had its share of waterborne car traffic.


Pool area on EMERALD STAR

For a while, we went inside and warmed up in the Pool area, which offered nearly unobstructed views of the passing scenery and river traffic.


View of EMERALD STAR from stern platform

EMERALD STAR Maltese pennant

A door led from the Pool area to a platform overlooking Emerald Star's winches and Maltese ensign on the stern. The view was great, and the ship's hull offered shelter from the headwind.

The only problem came when we wanted to go inside: The door had locked behind us, trapping us on our exposed overlook. Fortunately, a lady by the pool heard our knocking on the door and let us in.


Koblenz boat landing

We knew that we were close to our day's destination when Emerald Star passed a Koblenz boat landing on the city's outskirts.


Koblenz KD Rhine Line boat landing

A few minutes later, we rounded a bend and approached the downtown Koblenz waterfront.


Approaching Koblenz waterfront on EMERALD STAR

Our captain spun Emerald Star around, using his remote console on the Sun Deck, while cable cars of the Seilbahn Koblenz crossed the Rhine overhead.


Pier in Koblenz, Germany

In a minute or two, we were snugged against a pontoon along the riverfront promenade.


Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Koblenz

Across from our mooring, atop cliffs overlooking the Rhine, the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress guarded the city.


Sailors on KD Rhine Line pontoon in Koblenz

Koblenz gangway to waterfront

Sailors from Emerald Star secured the ship to the pontoon, which was attached to the shore by a permanent gangway.


Sailors at Koblenz Flea Market

On shore, the sailors tied Emerald Star's remaining lines to bollards amid the bustle of a flea market.


Koblenz flea market

We had an hour before our scheduled walking tour, so we went ashore and investigated the flea market.


Clothing at Flohmarkt Koblenz

Typewriters at Flohmarkt Koblenz

U.S. license plates at Koblenz, Germany flea market

The city-sponsored Flohmarkt had something for nearly everyone, from clothing to typewriters to secondhand American license plates.


Shoppers at Koblenz flea market

The flea market attracted a wide range of shoppers--everyone from young couples looking for baby clothes to elderly hoarders.


Seilbann Koblenz Talstation

Nearby, just a few meters from our ship, the lower station of the Seilbahn Koblenz (a.k.a. Koblenz Cable Car) attracted a steady stream of customers.


Koblenz Cable Car

The cable car, which opened in 2010, has 18 cabins and can carry 7,600 people per hour in both directions between downtown Koblenz and the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.


 

Koblenz tour guide

At 2 p.m., we went ashore and joined a group for a walking tour of Koblenz. Our guide, Joachim, looked natty in his straw hat.


Deutschherrenhaus , Koblenz

One of our first stops was the Deutschherrenhaus (now the Ludwig Museum of Koblenz) which once belonged to the Teutonic Order, also known as the Teutonic Knights, a Catholic religious and military order dating back to the 12th Century.


Kastorkirche, Koblenz

From the Deutschherrenhaus, it was only a short walk to the Kastorkirche, or St. Castor's Basilica, which is the oldest church in Koblenz.


Wedding at Kastorkirche, Koblenz

Tourist train in Koblenz, Germany

A wedding was just wrapping up as we approached the church, and a tourist train waited to take guests to the reception.


Stadt Koblenz Görresplatz sign

Görresplatz, Koblenz with Historiensaeule

Our tour included a visit to the Görresplatz, a square that is said to have been settled since Roman times.


Detail of Historiensauele, Koblenz

Historiensaeuele, Koblenz detail

The square's centerpiece was the Historiensaeule, or History Column, by Jürgen Weber, which was installed in 1992. The bronze column rises from the central fountain of the Görresplatz and chronicles the history of Koblenz from Roman times until the city's rebirth after the destruction of World War II.


Gorresbrunnen

The History Column and the fountain are well-integrated. (This sculpture could be labeled "The face that launched a thousand spits."


Jesuitenplatz sign and plaque, Koblenz

Jesuitenplatz, Koblenz

From the Görresplatz and its fountain, we walked to the Jesuitenplatz, where (to judge from the shops and cafés) God and Mammon had reached a state of peaceful coexistence.


Jesuitenkirche facade, Koblenz

The Jesuitenkirche or St. Johannes der Täufer (a.k.a. the Jesuit Church) had a deceptively simple appearance until we looked closely at the portal with its carvings of St. Michael, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. John the Baptist, and St. Francis Xavier.


Der Speiende Schängel, Schängelbrunnen, Koblenz

Nearby, the Rathaus or Town Hall featured a fountain, the Schängelbrunnen, which spits a water stream at regular intervals (soaking unsuspecting passersby).

The character atop the fountain is a Schängel, or Franco-German child, from the 20-year period (1794-1813) when Koblenz belonged to France.


Moselle waterfront in Koblenz

After getting an overview of downtown Koblenz, we walked a few blocks to the Moselle riverfront and headed toward the Deutsches Eck ("German Corner"), where the Moselle discharges into the Rhine.


We passed a beer garden that was setting up for a televised match between Germany and Italy in the 2016 UEFA EURO football tournament.


Sightseeing boat at Deutsches Eck

On our left, a local sightseeing boat cruised into the Moselle from the Rhine.


Deutsches Eck flea market

The municipal flea market had spilled from the Rhine waterfront onto the Deutsches Eck.


Statue at Deutsches Eck, Koblenz

The equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I at the Deutsches Eck is a modern replica of the original, which was damaged by U.S. artillery fire in World War II. (See Wikipedia's article for details.)


Seilbahn Koblenz

Having paid our respects to the late emperor and his horse, we walked to the Seilbahn Koblenz for a five-minute trip across the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.


 

Seilbahn Koblenz cabin

The cable-car ride began in the lower station of the Seilbahn Koblenz, near the Deutsches Eck and Emerald Star.

The cabins circled through the station without stopping (like chairs or gondolas on a ski lift), and passengers stepped aboard under the supervision of a Seilbahn employee.


Koblenz cable cars

Each of the Seilbahn's 18 cabins held a maximum of 35 passengers, but ours wasn't nearly that crowded, and we were able to get a front-row seat.


EMERALD STAR from Seilbahn Koblenz

We grabbed this snapshot of Emerald Star from the cable car right after leaving the riverfront station.


Barge and cable-car cabins from Seilbahn Koblenz

Rowing on the Rhine near Koblenz

Festung Ehrrenbreitstein from Seilbahn Koblenz

The views from the cable car were stunning as we crossed the Rhine and climbed 112 meters or 367 feet to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.


Entrance to Ehrenbreitstein fortress, Koblenz

At the Seilbahn's upper station, we followed a short path to the Festung Ehrenbreitstein.


Festung Ehrenbreitstein crest

Ehrenbreitstein is newer than it looks: Its medieval predecessor was destroyed by the French in 1799, and work began on the current fortress in 1817, when the Prussians made Koblenz a key military installation on the Rhine.


Festung Ehrenbreitstein entrance

Festunng Ehrenbreitstein steel gates 

Stone arches and steel entrance gates led us into the Festung, which is said to be Europe's largest fortress complex after Gibraltar. During times of full mobilization, Ehrenbreitstein had a combat strength of 1,500 soldiers and 80 cannons.


Jesus Christ Superstar at Ehrenbreitstein, Koblenz 

The military is long gone from Ehrenbreitstein. During our visit, the staff of Theater Koblenz were setting up for a production of Jesus Christ Superstar within the fortress walls.


Festung Ehrenbreitstein 

The Oberer Schlosshof, or Upper Castle Courtyard, houses a museum and a restaurant-casino. Just around the corner, in the Niederer Schlosshof, is the Jugendherberge Koblenz, the city's official DHJ youth hostel.


Ehrenbreitstein fortress, Koblenz - Viewing terrace 

Our guide said good-bye, leaving us to enjoy the panoramic viewing terrace overlooking the Rhine. (Note the inevitable "love padlocks" below the safety railing.)


Festung Ehrenbreitstein panorama 

We put Cheryl's Sony RX100 IV camera in "Panorama" mode to capture this view of the Rhine, the Moselle, the cable car, and central Koblenz. (Click here and maximize your browser window for a larger image.)


EMERALD STAR from Ehrenbreitstein fortress, Koblenz 

We used the maximum 30X telephoto setting of Durant's Sony HX90v pocket camera to take this picture of Emerald Star from the fortress.


Seilbahn Koblenz lower station from Ehrenbreitstein 

Deutsches Eck from Festung Ehrenbreitstein

Boatyard on Moselle, Koblenz

The HX90v also let us grab telephoto snapshots of the Seilbahn Koblenz's lower station, the Deutsches Eck, and a boatyard on the Moselle.


Sign for hiking path down from Ehrenbreitstein fortress

We wanted to spend the rest of our free time in downtown Koblenz before returning to Emerald Star, so we left the fortress.


Downhill ride on Koblenz cable car

The descent to Koblenz from Festung Ehrenbreitstein was, if anything, even more dramatic than our earlier ascent. (In this photo, you can see a river ship, Viking Lofn, moored next to the Deutsches Eck.)


Koblenz railroad tracks from cable car

Barge on Rhine from Koblenz Cable Car

We passed over railroad tracks and a barge laden with scrap metal as our cable car's gondola glided down and across the Rhine.


EMERALD STAR from Seilbahn Koblenz

Reflections on our gondola's windows enhanced this view of Emerald Star as we approached the Seilbahn's lower station.


We spent the next 45 minutes or so walking around downtown Koblenz.

We had just enough time for a gelato at a local Eis mecca, eGeLoSia, where the line was long but the efficient and friendly staff kept things moving.


EMERALD STAR and Festunng Ehrenbreitstein 

Shortly before "All Aboard" time at 5:45 p.m., we snapped this farewell picture of Ehrenbreitstein fortress with Emerald Star in the foreground. 


 

MS BELLEJOUR in Koblenz

Emerald Star departed Koblenz at 5:45 p.m., leaving the waterfront and MS Bellejour (which had been shadowing us since Nuremberg) behind.


Deutsches Eck from EMERALD STAR on Moselle River

Beer garden on Moselle in Koblenz

Within minutes, we'd rounded the Deutsches Eck and were passing the Königsbacher beer garden, which had a large television screen ready for the evening's Germany-Italy football match.


St. Castor Basilica in Koblenz

As we cruised down the Moselle, we got a fine view of the Kastorkirche, where we'd seen a bride and groom a few hours earlier.


RIGOLETTO cruise ship on Moselle

We also saw the first of many cruise ships that we'd encounter on the Moselle. The Rigoletto belongs to a Dutch line, SijFA Cruises, and has been plying Europe's inland waterways since 1987.


We reached the Moselle River's first lock on the outskirts of Koblenz, about 45 minutes after leaving our mooring place near downtown.


Winningen Roettgen vineyard - Moselle River

Moselle vineyard

At dinner, we enjoyed views of vineyard after vineyard--many of them steep enough to require ladders for workers who tended the vines and picked the grapes.


Castle Niederburg, Moselle River

Moselle Viaduct at Kobern-Gandorf

Niederburg Castle loomed over the town of Kobern-Gandorf, as did the Moselle Viaduct near Kilometer 20. (On the Mosel, as the Germans call the river, distance are measured from the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz.)


Crew show on Emerald Waterways ship

Later in the evening, the Crew Show emphasized comedy, and everyone (performers and passengers alike) had a good time.


Germany-Italy football match by EMERALD STAR's pool

A handful of passengers concluded the evening by watching the Germany-Italy football match on a large screen by the pool. (The match ended with a score of 1-1, and Germany won 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out.)


<< Previous page

Next page >>

Emerald Star day-by-day photo diary:
Introduction
Day 1: Departure (Nuremberg)
Day 2: Bamberg
Day 3: Wurzburg
Day 4: Wertheim & Mittenberg
Day 5: Rhine & Koblenz
Day 6: Moselle & Bernkastel
Day 7: Trier
Day 8: Disembarkation (Trier)

Also see:
Pre-cruise stay: Erlangen
Pre-cruise stay: Nuremberg
Emerald Waterways cruise review: Nuremberg to Trier